The Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) and its faithful are celebrating Christmas on Friday.

The SPC marks time using the Julian calender. Christmas is traditionally celebrated with family for three days with the bells on all SPC temples ringing before dawn on the first day. Early in the morning a guest, invited by the head of the household, comes to the door and is invited in to wish the household health and happiness in the coming year.

Bread or some form of cake is baked before the family attends church services and a coin is placed in the dough. The bread or cake is brought out at lunch and broken into pieces for each member of the household. In some parts of Serbia, two extra pieces are broken off and put away for the family home and possible guests.

Serbian Orthodox faithful greet each other on Christmas saying Christ is Born and replying Truly He is Born.

This Christmas, the head of the SPC, Patriarch Porfirije served a morning liturgy at the St Sava Temple in Belgrade.